mines

Some sites have sat unattended for decades.

There are many lost fortunes in Wyoming

The agreement calls for NTEC to make one payment right away, then monthly for a year.

Those fees amount to about 1% of the bond total, or about $1 million annually, Harbage said.

Blackjewel attorneys say the companies will seek replacement bonds.

The new deal that would transfer the mines from Contura to FM Coal also would need approval from a bankruptcy judge and Contura's board of directors.

Nearly 600 people worked at the vast, open-pit mines, which were among the most productive in the U.S.